Almost 30,000 rainbow trout have been stocked in five waters in Skamania and Klickitat counties for Saturday’s opening of the general fishing season.
Decades ago, Washington opened angling in most lakes and reservoirs statewide on the final weekend of April. But incrementally, the Department of Fish and Wildlife has shifted most waters to a year-round season with trout stocked periodically.
Freshwater fishing licenses cost $29.50 for resident adults 16 to 69 years old. Fifteen-year-olds can buy a license for $8.05, and seniors 70 and older can buy an annual freshwater fishing license for $7.50. Children 14 years of age and younger do not need a fishing license.
Opening Saturday in Skamania County will be Kidney Lake near North Bonneville and Swift power canal. Swift Reservoir no longer opens until the first Saturday in June as part of the reintroduction of spring chinook, winter steelhead and coho into the upper watershed of the North Fork of the Lewis River.
Opening Saturday in Klickitat County will be Rowland, Spearfish and Horsthief lakes.
According to John Weinheimer, district fish biologist in Carson, the Swift power canal has been stocked with 2,350 catchable-size rainbow trout.
Kidney Lake got 63 big broodstock trout during the winter, plus 2,777 catchables and 204 large “triploid” rainbows more recently.
Rowland Lake, along state Highway 14 east of Bingen, has been planted with 8,850 catchable rainbow plus 818 triploids. The lake got 205 broodstock during the winter and some of the 2,000 rainbows averaging 15 to 16 inches planted for Black Friday in November 2014 are undoubtedly still available.
Rowland is split by Highway 14 and only the north side is stocked, although the south side has smallmouth bass and panfish.
Spearfish Lake is just north of The Dalles Dam. It has received 5,910 catchable rainbows, 256 triploid rainbow and 165 of the large broodstock trout.
Horsethief Lake, inside Columbia Hills State Park, is being planted with 7,850 catchable rainbows and got 120 brood stock this winter.
More trout are coming to the lakes in May and June.
Weinheimer said the stocking schedule calls for Kidney and Spearfish lakes each to get 1,500 more rainbow in May, with Horsethief Lake due 3,000.
Rowland Lake will get 1,500 rainbow in June, while Spearfish gets another 2,000.
Swift Reservoir will open on June 6. The 4,500-acre reservoir on the North Fork of the Lewis River will be stocked with 60,000 rainbow trout prior to the opener.
Anglers with a two-pole endorsement can use two rods in all the waters mentioned above except Swift Reservoir.
